A Pennsylvania couple, Mandi and Leigh Block, carrying out a Labor Day weekend tradition of visiting a faraway major league ballpark, will take in the Tigers game Sunday at Comerica Park while on Saturday they found “a cool place” to visit – the Ford Arts, Beats and Eats festival in downtown Royal Oak.

“The baseball games are just a conduit to visit a new place and get a flavor of the city,” said Mandi Block.

The flavor of the metropolitan area was all around them.

As the Blocks purchased a designer photograph from an ABE artist, which will be shipped to their Lancaster home, they pondered the nearby booths where Detroit-area restaurants offered lunchtime choices such as jambalaya, pierogi and schwarma.

For Mike and Tracy Kehr, who were displaying their stained-glass creations, business was good. But they were just happy to be there. The White Cloud, Mich., couple, who converted a 1950s-era auto service station into the Dragonfly Garage, their studio and gallery, finally received approval from the ABE “jury” to appear in the show.

“This is our first year getting in after trying for five years,” said Mike Kehr. “That’s how you know that you’re at a good art show, an exclusive show, when it’s juried.”

One of the premier outdoor festivals in the Detroit area, now marking its 16th year, ABE could attract up to 400,000 people before it wraps up on Monday. The attractions are many – 10 stages with an eclectic mix of 200 live performances, more than 50 restaurant booths with foods from across the globe, and about 140 artists demonstrating their wares.

Past the lobster rolls and the prime rib sliders, within smelling distance of the barbecue pulled pork sizzling on a grill, festival-goers on Saturday had to pause for a moment to determine if the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down” that filled the venue was the original record. No, it was a pitch-perfect performance by the Beatlemania Live cover band.

Beyond the displayed paintings and wood carvings and sculptures, Gina Evans’ paella – a seafood dish originating from Spain, plus her secret sauce – was a hit with the crowd. Her business, Taste and Tell, appreciates the clientele at ABE.

“At this festival, a lot of people actually know what paella is. They know what’s in it, that it’s Spanish, because they’ve had it before,” she said.

As usual, weather played a role in the outdoor event.

A thunderstorm that moved through the area on Friday night forced the cancellation of shows by Eddie Money, Killer Flamingos and Free Beer. Today’s forecast calls for a high of 87 and a possible evening storm, while Monday’s high will be about 82 with a chance of morning rain.

The hot, sticky air also contributed to considerable sales of cold beer and ice cream treats. Over on Fourth Street, the unseasonably warm weather did not deter the Michigan Center for Capoeria dance team, which provided a Brazilian-style performance that combines the rhythmic movements of dance with the athleticism of martial arts.

In the distance, the kids carnival offered traditional midway thrills. And just beyond the corn dogs and coneys, at the Americana stage, rousing applause could be heard for the band Corktown Popes, which performed a spot-on version of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me.”